Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Minister for Trade) Share this | Hansard source

Provisions in a treaty do not of themselves create additional protections for individuals; laws passed through this place create those protections. That's why we have workplace laws of this parliament and of state and territory parliaments, in particular, that create a range of protections for Australian workers and for workers from overseas operating on different work visas. As I outlined in the answer before, we are taking additional steps, in terms of protections, legislation and awareness, of all of those measures. But such trade agreements are not the place to put those protections. The laws of the land are the place to put those protections. That's what the parliament has done over the years. That's what we're continuing to do. I again stress that there are no new labour market waivers created under these agreements.